In medical testing and processing, the use of robotics may minimize exposure to, or contact with, bodily fluid samples (otherwise referred to as “specimens”) and/or may increase productivity. For example, in some existing automated testing and processing systems (e.g., centrifuges), sample containers (such as blood collection tubes or the like) may be transported from an automated conveyor system by a transfer robot, and placed in an incoming bucket insert located within an incoming staging area. Bucket inserts are multi-receptacle containers that have numerous receptacles (e.g., 20 receptacles) adapted to receive sample containers. An incoming bucket insert, once filled, is then transported from the input staging area to a bucket of a centrifuge. This process is continued until the buckets of the centrifuge are appropriately filled, as desired. The samples are then centrifuged by spinning at high RPM to separate the whole blood and serum components (e.g., blood components). The time needed for full centrifuging may be between about 8-12 minutes.
Once centrifugation is complete, the bucket inserts are moved by a robot to an outgoing staging area, and a transfer robot then may proceed to empty the outgoing bucket insert and place the samples back onto the automated conveyor system. Once emptied, the outgoing bucket insert may be moved from the outgoing staging area to an incoming staging area, become an incoming bucket insert and again be filled with incoming sample containers to be centrifuged. This process allows near constant flow of sample containers into and out of the centrifuge. Typically, the incoming staging area includes a scale for obtaining the weights of the incoming bucket inserts and sample containers provided therein.
Although this loading/unloading system and method provides suitable efficiencies, more efficient systems and methods are sought to further reduce both processing time and cost. Accordingly, systems and methods that may improve speed of moving sample containers to and from testing and processing systems (e.g., centrifuges) are desired.